The Light of True Love
by Dominator046
Summary: After all that happened, Wander manages to atone for everything that he had done. And with that, what will happen with Mono and himself now that they are free to live their lives together? Read on and find out. Rated to be safe, I do not own SotC.
1. Just out of Reach

**Welcome to my fanfiction of The Shadow of The Colossus!**

**This chapter is a bit jumpy, but that is due to the multiple places the characters are, and the different ways they are thinking.**

**but, in this hodgepodge, I hope I make a decent introduction.  
**

* * *

The Light of True Love

Chapter 1: Just Out of Reach...

Wander could feel the shadow being tore from him, as he struggled not to be pulled with it, it devoured the form and entity that was Dormin...

Dormin, the demon that had used him to gain freedom...

He felt pure anger towards the abomination, not because he had been used, but because Dormin hadn't kept his promise at restoring his beloved's life.

Wander was now free of the shadow that was Dormin, and free in his own form... but, one problem.

Now he was being pulled towards the pool, he hadn't exactly died when the swordsman struck him down, his physical form was destroyed, but his mind and soul was not. His corrupted body was now being pulled into the light.

He struggled, he pushed forwards, he used all his strength to keep moving towards the end of the chamber...

Towards his beloved Mono.

He moved slowly but surely, struggling all the way. Extending one hand, panting as he ran against the current. It took awhile, but now he was a few steps before the alter. With that, he took a large enough jump and rested his hand over Mono's.

"Mono!" He called, before the currently pulled him back, sending him tumbling, before returning to his feet.

"Mono!!" Wander said, coming to his feet, and fighting the suction, however, he could feel himself being pulled back. "Please listen to me!"

With that, he prayed that her body retained at least some life, enough to hear his words.

"Mono, I love you! I always will! We'll be together I promise! If death couldn't stop me, neither shall this wretch! Please Mono, live! That's all I want, I promise, I'll return!" He said, now further back in the chamber, where the latter of the colossi were.

"Mono..." He said, as he was being pulled back, almost reaching the stairs.

But, before that, he wrenched his whole body forward, reaching out for his one and only love.

"MONO!!!" He called, before being pulled off of his feet, and pulled into the pool of light.

And with that... there was silence.

* * *

After what seemed like a heavy sleep, a short nap, and a long dream... the girl slowly opened her eyes. Unknowingly returned from the maw of death, a place where no human is supposed to return.

She sat up, and observed her surroundings, a place unknown to her, a place of beauty and yet a sort of impurity. Like the site of a building that had been razed to the ground. She slowly came to her feet, using her muscles that felt stiff from not being used; she pondered how long she was asleep.

She heard a soft clapping in the distance, the familiar sound of hooves. When she looked over, she saw a familiar horse.

'Wander's horse!' she thought, slowly approaching the wounded horse. After a breif reunion, the two explored the mysterious building.

She looked at the destroyed remnants on each side of the room, she found that each of them were recently destroyed... what had happened here?

However that wasn't the most alarming, what shocked her most, was the fact in a small depression in the ground, there was a lone baby, crying. She slowly approached him, and picked him up. She noticed he had horns, but she disregarded it, and cared for it as her own, as she and the horse explored the building.

* * *

Wander slowly came to his feet, noticing the sword beside him, which he grasped intently as he looked around.

A large stone room, polluted with shadow.

'Where am I?' He thought, as he raised the sword, which dispersed the darkness enough to see the sixteen shadowy figures, and a rather large shadow sitting behind them.

"**Welcome to our temporary purgatory**." The demon said, in it's strange harmonic voice.

Upon closer observation.... Wander could tell he was feeding off of these shadows, their corrupt souls feeding his.

"**Those fools outside believe this will seal us. We only need the power of thy soul, and of that wretched sword. With that, we will embody ourselves in the newly formed incarnate outside, that your maiden is so happily tending to**."

"You bastard!" Wander said, raising his sword, which started eating away at the dark figures. "You don't seem to realize something. I defeated all sixteen pieces of your soul... what makes you think that I can't beat you all at once?"

Dormin seemed to chuckle at this. "**We are the compilation of the upset souls that cannot pass on, Dormin is the name we carry because the soul of Dormin was the one that chained us together, his anger and hate gave drive to pollute these lands, and then, these sixteen souls had need of our power, with each one we became stronger**." Dormin said, rising to his feet.

"**Demons are litterally the fruit of your fear and nightmares, we are everything that plague your life. Some humans understand this, but obviously you do not!**" Dormin said, as he swatted his fist down at Wander.

Wander sent his sword straight up into Dormin's hand, which caused light to burst around the room, the dark spirits to flicker in and out of existance, and the Demon to bleed his black blood.

"You may be powerful, you may be the fruit of all things evil, but you are not immortal, and I have the means to that end." Wander said, stepping towards Dormin.

"**You kill the sixteen colossi, and you still haven't learned a thing!**" Dormin said, as he hit Wander with his fist, sending him across the room.

'Damn... wait, he must have a weak spot... the souls that power him.' Wander said, coming to his feet. He ran towards Dormin, but about half way to him, turned at a sharp degree, and slashed one of the dark souls. In this world, it was physical, and the blackened body bled, and slowly fell over dead.

With that, Dormin gave a horrible yell, undoubtedly in pain.

So, Wander repeated this, each time deceiving Dormin to get to the next shadow, and before long, all sixteen shadows were dead, and blue lines appeared all over Dormin's form.

"You say I haven't learned, it would appear you haven't either." Wander said, slowly approaching the demon.

"You cannot kill us, we are your destruction!" Dormin said, running straight for Wander, hoping to trample and absorb him in darkness. However, the plan didn't work...

As he approached, Wander jumped into the air, and slashed through Dormin's form, causing him a great deal of pain, and causing him to lose a massive amount of his precious shadow blood. However, Wander knew that wouldn't end him. Wander hastefully leaped onto the shadow colossus's back, and began to climb, Dormins tried to shake off Wander, but his power was now too much for Dormin to handle

Dormin had created his own undoing.

With that, Wander plunged the sword into each of Dormin's eyes, then, through his head. The blade shined with light, as both the beaten fighters in this tale slowly fell to the ground.

One alive, one dieing.

Dormin's voice faded in and out, nothing that Wander could comprehend, probably just some bile about him not being able to believe he was defeated.

"Now Dormin, and all you other lost souls, find peace." Wander said, as the darkness seemed to fade, and a normal light to fill the room.

It was over, the curse of the forbidden lands was lifted.

However, when he looked around the room, he noticed a circular crystal in the wall, which allowed him to look down into the Shrine of Worship... and in there, he saw the entity Dormin spoke of, a child, laying on the alter. The child was asleep, and Mono was watching over him.

"Mono's alive... thank god." Wander said, falling to his knees.

As he thought that, the sword began to vibrate, so he slowly withdrew it.

When he did, it freed itself from his grasp, and held itself in front of the crystal... and began to disintegrate.

When it did though, it created a swirling circle of light in front of him... which he assumed would return him there.

"Please... just let me see Mono again." Wander said, as he stepped through the portal.

* * *

Mono was sitting down next to the alter, watching Agro walk around the hall, with his leg still injured. She felt awfully bad for the horse, however, these thoughts were left behind, as a light flashed through the chamber.

She stood up, and looked at the alter... only to find that the baby was no longer there, and in its place... was Wander, fast asleep. Just as he was before he had slain any of the colossi, no scars, no corruption, and no horns.

The strength also had left him... he was as he was just before he left.

"Wander!" She said, overjoyed at seeing the man she loved again. Since they were little, they were always close friends, and over time, the feelings grew.

Then one day, a traveling seer accused her of aiding a demon in her future. Not wanting to take chances, the temple in their village had decided to offer her as a sacrifice.

Wander was torn apart by this, but despite that, he took the temple's offer to see her right before and right after she died.

She remembered the moments fondly, and that's when she realized... he brought her back from the dead, but these thoughts were brushed away when she heard.

"...Mono."

* * *

**Well, if you read through that, you have my thanks. I am going to try to make it a bit easier to read next chapter, as everyone won't be all dispersed.**

**Oh, and if you're wondering why Mono's a tad bit disoriented, confused, and easily taken off track, why don't you try suddenly waking up in a strange place, then remember dieing?? XDD  
**


	2. An Old Figure Departs

**Hey everyone, sorry for the lack of releases!**

**This one is fairly small, and kind of sketchy, but it delves into a bit more backstory behind the scenes of the story.**

**hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 2: An Old Figure Departs

"Wander!" She cried back, embracing him fondly. "Wander, what happened? Where are we?"

"All hell happened Mono... they killed you...but I brought you back!" Wander said, cheer filling his long despair frozen face. "I suffered horrors of this world long since sealed away, I have done the impossible... but I'm not sure if I still have a debt to pay..."

"Debt? What debt?" Mono said, sitting next to Wander, curious to what he meant.

"Mono... let me explain everything." He said smiling.

"Yes, let's hear you explain!"

The two turned to this third voice, a metal clad warrior said, stepping forward, walking up the stairs from the forbidden lands.

"...Holleigh?"

…

Some time ago, while wander was trekking to slay the next colossi, a warrior priest from the village had caught up with him. He had gone on ahead of the rest of the priests, the others staying behind to rebuild the temple that wander had burned to escape with Mono's body.

The priest saw the familiar looking boy in the distance, resting on some rocks, looking over the horizon.

However, when this warrior priest took a step, Wander took notice, and his head snapped in his direction.

"Holleigh?" Wander asked, knowing him. They had been friends, not the best of friends, but friends in the past. Wander was shocked to see him here this quickly.

"Yes, Wander, I ventured ahead of the other priests, as I wanted to give you a chance to repent."

"Repent, repent for what?" Wander asked, anger building inside of him, drawing his sword as Holleigh drew his.

"You burned the temple. You stole the sacrificed girl." Holleigh said, stepping forward, slowly. "You have sinned more than enough since your venture here..."

"You would betray your village?"

With that, Wander snapped, before Holleigh could even realize it, Wander's blade collided with his, causing Holleigh to step back.

"BETRAY? BURN THE DAMN VILLAGE!" Wander cried, mercilessly assaulting Holleigh. "Your temple betrayed its followers! Your rich stole from the poor... YOUR PEOPLE KILLED MONO!" Wander roared, slamming his blade against Holleigh's chest plate, forcing him to the ground.

"I would betray the village, as I cannot forgive what you have done."

"Words of a heretic, words of an orphan." Holleigh said, rising. "The temple knew what was best, that seer saw the truth... look at you now. She caused..."

"SHE CAUSED NOTHING!" Wander said, tears now flowing from his eyes. "You... your damn temple caused this! You killed her, with this blade!" Wander added, holding out the sword he stole from the temple as he burned it. "The history of the temple is one of bloodshed. As they accepted me worshipping my way, I accepted their past... but... when they killed Mono..."

"The word of the temple is law in our village." Holleigh said, back on his feet. "They may forgive you if you leave her to rest."

Wander, smiled, and hung his head down starting to chuckle. "I don't want forgiveness. I'm never going back there, ever again."

"WHEN MONO'S ALIVE AGAIN, WE WILL NEVER NEED YOUR VILLAGE AGAIN!"

…

Wander had one that fight, easily, and left Holleigh for dead. Wander had taken the time during recalling that moment to explain his final fight with Dormin.

"Wander..."

"I meant what I said. I'm never going back there." He said, standing between Holleigh and Mono. "What they did to her was unforgivable."

"What you have done was unforgivable, you released Dormin!"

"I slayed him as well. These lands are no longer plagued by his horrid existence."

Holleigh seemed to flinch at this, drawing back.

"...Still, by order of the temple... I'm not to let you... or the girl... live."

"Take my life, but spare hers." Wander said, without hesitation.

"Wander, no!" Mono protested, running up to Wander. "I won't watch you die."

"Well then... I'll just have to kill you both." Holleigh said, withdrawing his sword. As he did, Wander embraced Mono and held her, turning so if Holleigh were to attack, only he would be struck.

However, Holleigh didn't swing. In the proper attack position the temple had taught him... he couldn't swing.

"This... doesn't feel right." Holleigh said, still poised to attack. "In my heart... I feel this is wrong."

"Then why don't you stop this!" Mono said, breaking out of Wander's hold. "Stop this violence, Wander has done more than enough to be forgiven for what he had done. He never claimed an innocent life. He returned the blade he stole. What more could he ask for, the gods to descend from the skies and proclaim his innocence!" She yelled, now standing between Holleigh and Wander. "Please... just please stop this..."

After that, Holleigh slowly sheathed his swords. "I'm going to go back to the temple, and speak to the high priests about this. I will tell them as you told me."

"But... the bridge..." Wander began.

"There is more than one way out of this place. If you go to the ruins of the bridge, I'm sure you'll find what I mean, and why I believe your excuses." Holleigh said, turning, and going back down the stairs.

"Best of fortunes to both of you." He said, before stepping out of sight.

There was a brief moment of silence...

Then a loud CRACK.

"What the hell were you thinking!" Mono said, to a dumbstruck Wander, with a deep red cheek, with what looked like a hand impression on it. "He would have killed you!"

"...better me than you a second time." He said, smiling. "I... I couldn't bear to lose you a second time."

She let out a sigh, seeing his face, relieved, even though she had just yelled at him. Then finally smiling herself. "Well... I'm just glad you're safe."

"Yeah, me too." Wander said, embracing her again.

As they held each other, they could feel a cold breeze fill the Shrine of Worship, as the sun set in the distance.

"We should try and leave in the morning." Wander said, smiling.

"Yeah." Mono said, mirroring his smile.


End file.
